Preparing to Enter

Five days earlier, in the royal capital of the Duchy of Wus, sunlight streamed through the palace's towering stained-glass windows, casting a dappled pattern of light and shadow across the floor.

Alsat Wus sat upright on the throne, clad in a purple royal robe embroidered with a golden lion. Quill in hand, he was focused on annotating a parchment document.

The air was filled with the mingled scents of parchment, ink, and spices. Several attendants stood with their hands at their sides along the walls of the hall, taking care to breathe quietly.

"Your Majesty, should we send our people to explore the newly discovered plane ruins on the Osteka Plain?"

A tall knight stepped forward, the clang of his armor breaking the silence in the hall.

Duke Feitler was a senior minister of the Duchy of Wus. He had advanced to a third-tier earth knight before reaching a hundred years of age and was in the prime of his career.

The tip of Alsat's quill did not pause for an instant as he continued to concentrate on the document before him.

"There's no need. I already know about those plane ruins. Several nearby Wizard Academies have sent people to take charge, so we needn't interfere."

Feitler frowned deeply and said, unwilling to give up, "According to our intelligence, only some Wizard Apprentices and first- and second-tier Formal Wizards are going. Even if we sent an elite team inside, they probably wouldn't object, would they?"

Alsat's quill finally came to a halt.

He slowly raised his head, his piercing gaze stabbing toward Feitler like a blade. A strange smile curved his lips. "Do you think the Duchy of Wus has lasted too long, passing down to me as its sixteenth ruler?"

Feitler was cowed by the chill in the king's eyes, and a layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on his back.

Alsat Wus was not only the ruler of the duchy, but also an unfathomable fourth-tier professional.

When he released his aura, a pressure as heavy as a mountain instantly enveloped Feitler, nearly leaving him unable to breathe.

"In the Wizard World, every power must abide by the rules laid down by wizards. Those that failed to do so have long since been reduced to dust."

Alsat's voice was quiet, but it carried an unquestionable authority. "Don't think I can't see through what you're plotting."

"The core of the plane ruin fragment has already been claimed by the wizards, so don't mention it again. However, I've reached a new agreement with the Dragon Radiance Empire. They're preparing a war against a medium-sized plane. If you can take part when the time comes, whether you obtain a plane fragment core will be up to you." A trace of expectation entered Alsat's voice. "After all, I also hope the duchy can produce another fourth-tier 'god.'"

At the words "fourth-tier god," Feitler unconsciously clenched his fists, the disappointment in his heart instantly replaced by a burning desire.

As a third-tier powerhouse not yet a hundred years old, advancing to the fourth tier was his greatest aspiration.

Reaching the fourth tier required not only a special professional specialty but, more importantly, the fusion of a plane core to gain the ability to freely enter and leave star region space.

A complete plane core, however, was utterly beyond the reach of a genius from a minor power like his.

Thus, the lesser cores of plane ruin fragments became their primary targets. Though the boost they provided was inferior to that of a complete plane core, they could still grant the ability to enter star region space, which was the most enticing part.

"Then should we send the duchy's army to help maintain order?" An idea occurred to Feitler. "Ordinary adventurers and professionals might interfere with the wizards' plans. This way, we can both demonstrate the majesty of our kingdom and leave a good impression on the Wizard Academies."

Alsat pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly. "You're in charge of this. Make sure it's done well."

Feitler bowed respectfully and withdrew from the hall. Alsat lowered his head and resumed reviewing the documents. After a long while, he looked up, his gaze drifting involuntarily toward the Osteka Plain, and let out a long sigh.

At the entrance to the plane ruins on the Osteka Plain, Chen Chuan sat upright on the back of a Griffin and looked down. Several thousand soldiers had formed a tight cordon around the ruins.

Their gray-black heavy armor stretched on like a great wall of steel. Huge square shields overlapped in rows, and spears jutted diagonally through the gaps like a forest of cold thorns.

The lion emblem on their battle flag snapped in the wind. The entire army resembled a gigantic steel beast lying in wait—the Duchy of Wus's Ninth Legion, the Mad Lion Legion.

At the entrance to the ruins, a professional who looked like a commander glanced up and spotted the flock of Griffins overhead. A flicker of wariness crossed his eyes. "Stay alert!" he shouted.

The soldiers around him immediately adjusted their formation with practiced precision, pointing their spears skyward and planting their shields firmly on the ground.

A few days earlier, they had received transfer orders from His Majesty the King, designating these ruins a military exclusion zone reserved for the wizards to explore. Ordinary professionals and adventurers were strictly forbidden to enter.

The Griffins descended slowly. Chen Chuan and the others leaped down from their backs one after another and gathered behind Randy, wary expressions on every face.

Randy gave a slight wave of his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet.

"It's the Duchy of Wus's Mad Lion Legion. There's no need to be nervous."

The commander saw the emblem on Randy's wizard robe and immediately became respectful. "So you're a wizard, sir. Please forgive the offense." He waved to the soldiers behind him, and the cordon slowly parted to reveal a passage.

Chen Chuan followed the group toward the entrance. The grass beneath his feet was damp and soft, making a faint sound as he stepped on it.

In the distance, the outlines of the ruins appeared and vanished in the mist. Strange purple vines covered the ancient stone walls, swaying gently in the breeze as though something were writhing among them.

After they passed through the entrance, the view suddenly opened up.

They came to a small plaza that had been cleared. A pale blue vortex passage stood at its center, with numerous tents pitched around it and several groups scattered among them. Randy led the group straight toward the other parties.

"Wait for me here," Randy quietly told Kami before walking alone toward several Formal Wizards ahead who were clearly the leaders.

Randy stopped in front of three Formal Wizards.

An old man wore a gray robe and held a skull-topped staff. Faint white shadows flitted through the skull's hollow eye sockets, giving it an eerie air.

A young, voluptuous woman wore a fiery red robe, and the short staff in her hand emitted powerful fluctuations of mana.

There was also a middle-aged man with a stern face and eyes as sharp as a hawk's. The long saber at his waist glimmered faintly and gave off a constant, soft hum, as though it might leave its sheath and strike someone at any moment.

Not far behind them stood another seventeen or eighteen Wizard Apprentices, wearing a variety of expressions.

Chen Chuan studied the groups intently, guessing which academies they belonged to.

Alia noticed where Chen Chuan was looking and explained softly, "They should be from the Curse of the Dead Wizard Academy, the Spark Wizard Academy, and the Weapon Wizard Academy. Their spheres of influence happen to cover this area."

Chen Chuan frowned slightly. "I know about the Spark Wizard Academy. Do you have any information on the other two?"